Three Jaish terrorists killed in J&K's Tral just 48-hours after LeT commander’s death in Shopian

Srinagar: In a continuing offensive against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, three local militants associated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit were killed in a fierce gunfight in south Kashmir’s Tral area on Thursday.

The encounter comes just two days after the killing of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) operational commander, Shahid Kuttay, and his two associates in neighboring Shopian district.

According to the Jammu and Kashmir police, the gun battle broke out in Nadar Lorgam village in Tral, located in Awantipora police sub-district of Pulwama following a joint cordon-and-search-operation carried out by the Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and J&K Police. The operation was launched based on “specific intelligence inputs” about the presence of militants in the area.

“As the joint team approached the suspected hideout, the terrorists opened fire, leading to a retaliatory engagement,” a senior police official said. “In the ensuing encounter, three local terrorists were neutralized. They are believed to be affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad.”

The slain militants have been identified as Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani, and Yawar Ahmad Bhat—all residents of Pulwama. Their bodies were recovered along with arms and ammunition, and standard procedures are being followed, police said.

The encounter is part of a renewed and intensified crackdown on militancy in the Valley, which gained momentum after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians—mostly tourists—dead. The Pahalgam attack, one of the deadliest in recent years, prompted a swift and forceful response from the Indian government.

In the aftermath of the massacre, India launched Operation Sindoor, a cross-border military campaign targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including key infrastructure belonging to JeM and LeT. Among the targets hit was the operational headquarters of the two groups, believed to be involved in planning the Pahalgam attack.

Simultaneously, the security forces have stepped up combing operations across the southern districts of Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag, and Kulgam. The elimination of Shahid Kuttay—one of the top LeT commanders operating in the region—and his two aides in Shopian on Tuesday was seen as a significant blow to the outfit’s leadership in Kashmir. As a strong message, the family house of Kuttay was demolished by authorities shortly after the Pahalgam killings.

A senior police officer told DH that the back-to-back killings of six militants in Shopian and Tral have injected fresh momentum into the ongoing investigation into the Pahalgam attack. “There is speculation that some of the neutralized terrorists may have had links with the module behind the Pahalgam carnage. A detailed technical and forensic investigation is underway to establish any such connection,” he said.